Differential focus blade clearance probe and methods for using same

ABSTRACT

An apparatus and a method for ascertaining a gap between a stationary member and a rotating member are disclosed. At least a reference beam and a signal beam, which have different focal lengths or which diverge/converge at different rates, are fixed to the stationary member and proximate to each other. The beams are projected across a gap between the stationary member and the rotating member toward the rotating member. The reference and signal beams are reflected by the translating member when it intersects the reference and signal beam, and the reflected reference and signal pulses are obtained. One or more features of the reflected reference pulse and the reflected signal pulse, such as a rise time of the pulses, a fall time of the pulses, a width of the pulses and a delay between the reflected reference pulse and the reflected signal pulse, among other factors, are obtained. The width of the gap is obtained using at least one of these factors.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) to U.S.provisional patent application Ser. No. 61/197,196 entitled“Differential Focus Blade Clearance Probe (DFCP)” filed on Oct. 24,2008, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

This invention was made with government support under U.S. Army contractnos. W911W6-08-C-0011 and W911W6-08-C-0058 awarded by the Department ofthe Army. The Government of the United States of America may havecertain rights to this invention.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention generally relates to a differential focus probe thatmeasures the distance between a translating member and a stationarymember, such as the distance between the shroud of a jet engine and theedge of a rotating blade, and a method for measuring such distance.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Measurement of blade clearance in the turbine stages of a gas turbineengine, jet engine or any other turbo-machines and turbines is animportant step towards reducing maintenance and improving thethermodynamic efficiency and thrust output of the engine. Any gas whichtravels between the blade tips and the engine shroud represents asignificant loss of energy from the system, lowering thrust andrequiring the consumption of additional fuel. Thus, it is desirable forthese reasons to minimize the clearance of the blades. Doing so,however, runs the risk of a catastrophic failure occurring if the bladesimpact the engine shroud. It is desirable, therefore, to know how muchclearance is present and to utilize that data to maintain a minimal, yetsafe, clearance. Once this information is available, it can be appliedas the driver for a suite of active control technologies, such asvibration cancellation, adaptive modification of the housing diameter,or emergency shutdown to prevent catastrophic failure.

The patent literature discloses several attempts to measure rotor tipclearance in turbo-machineries. U.S. Pat. No. 4,049,349 to A. J.Wennerstrom discloses a measuring device comprising a pair of opticalsensors aimed at the rotating blades, and a single sensor aimed at therotating shaft. Each sensor comprises a light emitter and a lightdetector. The pair of optical sensors aiming at the rotating blades isspaced a short distance apart, and their light emitters project lightbeams at an angle to one another. A digital clock comprising a signalgenerator producing a stable frequency is used as a timing device forthe system. The light beams aimed at the rotating blades are reflectedand scattered by passing blades. As a rotating blade intercepts thefirst light beam, its reflected light starts a counter associated withthe digital clock. As this rotating blade intercepts the second lightbeam from the pair, its reflected light stops the counter. The sensoraiming at the rotating shaft starts and stops another counter recordingthe number of cycles or pulses from the digital clock, which occurredduring one revolution of the shaft. By dividing the number of countsmeasured by the pair of sensors aiming at the rotating blades by thenumber of counts during one revolution, the rotor tip clearance isascertained.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,326,804 to P. W. Mossey discloses another tip clearancemeasuring device that comprises a single light emitter and a singlelight receiver. The emitted light impinges the rotating blades at anangle. The reflected light is focused on to a position detector. The tipof the rotating blade reflects light at varying angles as a function ofthe tip clearance. The angles of the reflected light are detected by theposition detector, and the tip clearance is derived from said angles.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,017,796 to H. Makita also discloses a tip clearancemeasuring device with a single light emitter and a single lightreceiver. This device has a holding spring that biases a movablefocusing lens to focus the emitted light on to the moving blade. Themovable lens is adjusted by oscillating movement until the reflectedlight has a maximum value. The tip clearance is related to the positionof the movable lens at the maximum value of the reflected light.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,357,104 to I. Davinson passes light through anastigmatic lens which changes the shape of the beam to measure the tipclearance. U.S. Pat. No. 4,596,460 to I. Davinson uses an opticaltriangulation technique using a T-shaped optical path to measure tipclearance. U.S. Pat. No. 4,180,329 to J. R. Hildebrand discloses asingle blade proximity probe using two light beams having differentfrequencies. The two light beams are mixed prior to being projectedtowards the blades, and the reflected signal is subtracted by thefrequency of the second light beam.

However, the prior art does not contemplate using the geometrical shapeand features of the emitted light or lights to measure tip clearance.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Hence, the invention is generally directed to a method and a device tomeasure the distance between the edge of a translating member, e.g., arotating blade member, and a stationary second member, e.g., an engineshroud.

The present invention includes a sensor and a method for ascertaining agap between a stationary member and a rotating member.

One embodiment of the present invention provides a method forascertaining a gap between a stationary member and at least onetranslating member of a rotary machine. This method comprises the stepsof (i) associating at least a reference beam and a signal beam ofelectromagnetic radiation to the stationary member and proximate to eachother, wherein one of the two beams either converges or diverges at arate which is different than that of the other beam, (ii) projecting thereference beam and the signal beam across a gap between the stationarymember and the at least one translating member toward the at least onetranslating member, (iii) receiving a reference and signal pulsereflected by the at least one translating member when it intersects thereference and signal beam, respectively, (iv) ascertaining one or moregeometrical features from the reflected reference pulse and thereflected signal pulse; and (v) determining a width of the gap using atleast one of the features in step (iv).

Another embodiment provides another method of determining this gap whereonly one the signal beam is deployed, and the speed and thickness of theat least one translating member are provided.

Another embodiment of the present invention is directed toward a sensorcomprising at least a first and second beams of light mounted on astationary member and directed across a gap toward at least onetranslating member. The first beam of light is focused by a first lensand the second beam of light is focused by a second lens, such that thediameter of the second beam of light across the gap is known. The lightfrom the first beam of light and the second beam of light eitherdiverges or converges at different rates, and the width of the gap isdeterminable by using reflected light pulses produced by theinterception of the light beams by the at least one translating member.

Three or more beams of light can be used with the present invention.Furthermore, the sensors of the present invention can be used in acontrol loop application.

In another embodiment, the sensor can be constructed of materials thatsurvive high temperatures, so that it can be used at high temperatures,for example in gas turbine engines.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the accompanying drawings, which form a part of the specification andare to be read in conjunction therewith and in which like referencenumerals are used to indicate like parts in the various views:

FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an embodiment of thesensor of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a three-dimensional cross-sectional view of the embodiment ofFIG. 1 viewed from a different angle;

FIG. 3 shows exemplary sizes of the spots at three different clearancesprojected on the tip of a moving or translating part, such as a turbineblade;

FIG. 4 is a plot of a pair of pulses including a reflected referencepulse and a corresponding reflected signal pulse;

FIG. 5 is a plot of a single pulse, e.g., the reference pulse shown inFIG. 4, illustrating the rise and fall crossing time lines for threethresholds;

FIG. 6 is a plot of a pair of corresponding reference and signal pulsesshowing the pulse delay between the two pulses with the horizontal timescale adjusted for clarity;

FIG. 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view of another embodiment of thepresent invention using three or more beams;

FIG. 8 is a schematic of the optical and electrical system operating thesensor of the present invention; and

FIG. 8 a is an alternate embodiment of the system shown in FIG. 8;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a tip of a moving or rotating member.

FIG. 10 is a schematic representation of an exemplary hardware toprocess the reflected light pulses received by the sensor of FIG. 1 inreal time;

FIG. 11 is a schematic representation of an exemplary hardware to storethe reflected light pulses received by the sensor of FIG. 1 forpost-processing;

FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram illustrating the general methodology forprocessing the reflected light pulses in real time;

FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary, non-limiting specificmethod for executing the general methodology shown in FIG. 12;

FIG. 14 is a schematic representation of the sensor of FIG. 1 with adistal window with elements omitted for clarity;

FIG. 15 is a schematic representation of the sensor of FIG. 1 with atleast one offset optical fiber with elements omitted for clarity;

FIG. 16 is a schematic representation of another embodiment of thesensor of the present invention;

FIG. 17 is a schematic plot of the reflected light pulses from thesensor of FIG. 16;

FIG. 18 is a schematic representation of another at least three lightbeam sensor of the present invention with elements omitted for clarity;

FIG. 19 illustrates the inventive sensor with an alternate cylindricallens;

FIG. 20 is a plot in polar coordinates showing a result from adeployment of the sensor of the present invention on a turbo-machine;and

FIG. 21 is a plot in Cartesian coordinates showing a result from adeployment of the sensor of the present invention on a turbo-machine.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention relates to using the varying diameter of a signallight beam to measure the tip clearance between a stationary member of aturbo-machine, such as a housing or a shroud, and a moving ortranslating member, such as rotating blades. In one embodiment, thesignal light beam is a converging beam positioned on the stationarymember and is directed toward the translating member across the gapbetween the two members, such as the tip clearance. Since the diameterof the signal light beam is decreasing and unique along a certaindistance from the stationary member to the translating member, when arotating blade intersects the signal light beam, it produces a uniquepulse that is related to the tip clearance of that rotating blade. Areference light beam having a known and preferably constant diameter canalso be used in conjunction with the focused signal beam. Since thesignal beam and the reference beam intersect the same rotating blade,ratios of certain aspects of the pulses reflected from the signal beamto the reference beam, such as pulse widths, rise time and fall time,among others, produce the tip clearance independent of the rotatingspeed and the width of the blades.

In one embodiment, the present invention comprises remote, non-contactoptical probe 10, shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, designed to measure the spaceor clearance “Z” between a moving or translating member and a stationarymember, such as the tips of moving blades or airfoils inside a jetengine or other turbo-machineries and the stationary shroud or housingsurrounding and protecting the moving blades or airfoils. Generally, thedifferential focus blade clearance probe, designated herein as probe 10,comprises two or more beams of light: a reference beam and a signalbeam, which are mounted on the stationary member and are directed towardthe tips of the moving or translating members. The beams are positionedsubstantially parallel, and preferably positioned toward the axis ofrotation of the translating members and proximate to each other. Thereference beam is preferably, although not necessarily, as explainedfurther below, collimated so that its diameter remains constant at leastacross gap Z from the stationary member to the moving or translatingmember. The signal beam is preferably focused so that its diametervaries as the beam travels across gap Z. In other words, the referencebeam and the signal beam have different focal lengths. The referencebeam can be converging, collimated or diverging, and the signal beam canbe converging or diverging.

In the preferred embodiment discussed in the preceding paragraph, as themoving or translating member, e.g., a blade or airfoil, moves across thetwo beams, it reflects light differently. The reflected reference beamshould have the same pulse notwithstanding the width of gap or distanceZ, since the reference beam is collimated. The reflected signal beamproduces a pulse that varies in time duration depending on the width ofgap Z, since the signal beam is focused. When gap Z is relatively small,the reflected signal pulse is relatively longer. When gap Z isrelatively large, the reflected signal pulse is relatively smaller sincethe focused signal beam is smaller when the further the signal beam isaway from the stationary member. As described further below, ratios ofcertain features of the reference pulse and signal pulse, where thetranslating member intersects the beams, are indicative the width of gapZ.

Referring to FIG. 1, differential focus blade clearance probe 10 ismounted on stationary member 12 and comprises reference beam 14 andsignal beam 16. Beams 14 and 16 are located proximate and aresubstantially parallel to each other, and are directed toward rotatingor moving or translating member 18, hereinafter referred to as blade 18,which is moving along the indicated arrow 19 toward beams 14 and 16.Reference beam 14 is produced by a light propagating along optical fiber20 and through collimating lens 22. Signal beam 16 is produced by alight propagating along optical fiber 24 and is focused by focusing lens26. For low temperature applications, optical fibers 20 and 24 can beomitted and the light beams can be projected directed from a lightsource, such as lasers or diodes. A window 27, shown schematically inFIGS. 14 and 15, downstream of lenses 22 and 26 and located at thedistal end of sensor 10 is preferably provided to protect sensor 10 fromdebris. Any light sources can be used in the present invention.Preferably, light with narrowed frequency ranges, such as light producedby lasers or diodes, is used. However, broad band light sources can alsobe used, because the present invention functions independent of thefrequency of the light sources. Similarly, electromagnetic waves in theinvisible or visible ranges can be used. As used herein, “light,” “lightsources,” “beam,” “light beams” or similar terms include electromagneticwaves or a ray of electromagnetic waves in the invisible and visibleranges, and can be either coherent or incoherent.

As tip 28 of blade 18 intersects beams 14 and 16, it reflects the lightback to sensor 10. When the rotating speed of blade 18 remains constant,blade 18 would reflect a pulse of light of the same dimension orduration from reference beam 14 regardless of its gap Z from stationarymember 12. However, as blade 18 intersects signal beam 16, it wouldreflect a pulse of light of varying dimension or duration depending ongap Z. For example, if blade 18 intersects signal beam 16 at position 16a, then the distance from its tip 28 to stationary member 12 is Za; ifblade 18 intersects signal beam 16 at position 16 b, then the distancefrom its tip 28 to stationary member 12 is Zb; and so on. The width ofgap Z at Za-Zd is inversely proportional to the dimension or timeduration of the reflected signal beam as evidenced by the diameter ofsignal beam 16 at locations 16 a-16 d, respectively, as shown in FIGS. 1and 3. Location 16 d, where signal beam 16 converges to a single point,is preferably positioned beyond gap Z, so that tip 28 of blade 18intersects signal beam 16 upstream of location 16 d.

As blade 18 begins to enter reference beam 14, tip 28 begins topartially reflect beam 14 until the entire beam is reflected by blade18, when tip 28's width and surface are the same or larger than thediameter of reference beam 14. As blade 18 begins to exit the beam, itis reflecting less of the beam until blade 18 completely exits beam 14.Signal beam 16 and reference beam 14 are preferably arranged such thatthe same portion of tip 28 passes through the center of both beams insequence, as shown in FIG. 1. Alternatively, blade 18 can substantiallyconcurrently enter and exit reference beam 14 and signal beam 16, asillustrated in FIG. 2. Blade 18 may enter signal beam 16 ahead or behindreference beam 14.

Referring to FIG. 4, a plot showing an exemplary reflected referencepulse 30 from reference beam 14 and an exemplary reflected signal pulse32 are shown. The pulses are normalized to 1.0, which is shown on thevertical axis. The horizontal axis represents the time duration of thepulses in microseconds (μs) centered about the peak of reflected signalpulse 32 for convenience. The reflected pulses are also time shifted asshown in FIGS. 4 and 6 for clarity, since in the preferred embodimentdiscussed in the preceding paragraph the reflected pulses are generatedsequentially to minimize cross-talk when they are detected. The leftrise portions of reflected pulses 30 and 32 are designated as the risetime and commensurate with the partial reflections of beams 14 and 16,as blade 18 is entering the beams. The right fall portions of reflectedpulses 30 and 32 are designated as the fall time and commensurate withthe partial reflections of beams 14 and 16, as blade 18 is exiting thebeam. The plateau between the rise and fall time, if any, represents thetime duration when the entire beam 14 or 16 is reflected from blade 18.As expected, the width of reflected signal pulse 32 is smaller than thewidth of reflected reference pulse 30 due to the fact that the diameterof signal beam 16 is narrowing while the diameter of reference beam 14remains substantially constant, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

Referring to FIG. 5, to aid in the determination of rise time, the leftrise portions of the reflected pulses is marked at A, where theamplitude of the pulse is about 25% of the maximum height, at B, wherethe amplitude of the pulse is about 50% of the maximum height and at C,wherein the amplitude is about 75% of the maximum height. Similarly, toaid in the determination of fall time, the right fall portions of thereflected pulses is marked at D, where the amplitude of the pulse isabout 75% of the maximum height, at E, where the amplitude of the pulseis about 50% of the maximum height and at F, wherein the amplitude isabout 25% of the maximum height. Alternatively, the low marker A or Fcan be set between about 15% and about 35%; the mid marker B or E can beset between about 40% and about 60%; and the high marker C or D can beset between about 65% and about 85%.

It is noted that the rise and fall portions of the reflected pulses canbe divided or marked at any number of intervals and at any percentage ofthe maximum value, and the present invention is not limited thereto.

Alternatively, instead of normalizing the pulses based on theiramplitude, the pulses can be normalized based on the total pulse energy.In one embodiment, the area under the pulse is divided up into an “n”number of segments, then the values for all the segments are added upand then divided by the “n” number of segments. This average value canbe used to determine the High, Mid, and Low thresholds. In anotherembodiment, the area under the pulses is integrated and the integratedarea is used to determine the markers. For example, a partial areamaking up about 10% of the integrated area above the X-axis demarcatesmarkers A and F, a partial area making up about 25% cumulatively of theintegrated area above the X-axis demarcates markers B and E, and so on.

To ascertain the distance or gap Z between stationary member 12 and tip28 of moving or translating member 18, rise time, T(rise), for bothreflected pulses 30 and 32 are derived as follows:T(_(rise-ref)30)=T(C)−T(A) of reflected reference pulse 30,  (Eq. 1)T(_(rise-signal)32)=T(C)−T(A) of reflected signal pulse 32,  (Eq. 2)T(_(rise-ref)30)=D(14)/velocity of blade 18  (Eq. 3)T(_(rise-signal)32)=D(16)/velocity of blade 18  (Eq. 4)In Eq. 3, the diameter of reference beam 14, D(14), is constant, and isknown or can be determined. The diameter of signal beam 16, D(16), atthe location where tip 28 intersects signal beam is directly related todistance or gap Z. Furthermore, the velocity of blade 18 in both Eqs. 3and 4 is also known and is generally the product of the rotational speedof blade 18 multiplied by the distance from tip 28 to the axis ofrotation and can be readily determined, when blade flexure is minimal.However, a ratio of the rise time eliminates the velocity component, asfollows.T(_(rise-signal)32)/T(_(rise-ref)30)=D(16)/D(14)  (Eq. 5).Since, Z is inversely proportional to D(16) as discussed above and D(14)is constant, (Eq. 5) can be simplified and inverted, as followsZαZ _(d) −D(16)/D(14)  (Eq. 6),where proportionality is represented by the symbol α, and Z_(d) is thedistance shown in FIG. 1. Diameter D(16) of signal beam 16 varies alonggap Z, as discussed above, and the amount of variation of D(16) dependson the optical properties of focusing lens 26 and the fiber 24 to lens26 spacing, which are controlled by the users or designers of sensor 10.Hence, D(16) is also known. Hence, the width of gap Z is known, whenD(16) is known, as shown in (Eq. 6). The duration of reflected pulsescan be affected by the thickness of blade 18 and the speed of tip 28,because thicker blade 18 would produce pulses of longer duration and thefaster speed of tip 28 would produce a shorter duration. Since the bladespeed has the same contribution in Eqs. 3 and 4, the blade speed iscanceled in Eqs. 5 and 6. By substituting (Eq. 5) into (Eq. 6), gap Zcan be defined as.ZαT(_(rise-ref)30)/T(_(rise-signal)32)  (Eq. 7),The rise times of reflected signal pulse 32 and reflected referencepulse 30 can be readily determined from the reflected pulses, as shownin FIGS. 4 and 5. In one embodiment, the rise time can be defined as thetime at point C or T(C) minus the time at point A or T(A) of reflectedreference or signal pulse.

Similarly, gap Z is also proportional to a ratio of the fall time ofreflected signal pulse 32 to the fall time of reflected reference time30, or ZαT(_(fall-signal))/T(_(fall-ref)). More specifically,Zα(T(F)−T(D)(_(ref) 30))/(T(F)−T(D)(_(signal) 32)) (Eq. 8).

Gap Z is also proportional to a ratio of the width (W) of the signalpulse 32 at low threshold to the width of the reference pulse 30 at lowthreshold, ZαW(_(low-ref) 30)/W(_(low-signal) 32). More specifically,Zα(T(F)−T(A)(_(ref) 30))/(T(F)−T(A)(_(signal) 32)) (Eq. 9). Since thewidth (W) of the signal is affected by the width of tip 28 or of blade18, preferably a constant is added to both signal pulse 32 and referencepulse 30. This constant is related to the width of tip 28. One manner inwhich this constant may be determined is by comparing the ratio of thewidths at different levels. For example, the width of tip 28 will havethe same effect on the value (T(C)−T(C)(ref 30)) as it will on(T(F)−T(A)(ref 30)).

Gap Z is also proportional to a ratio of the width (W) of the signalpulse 32 at mid threshold to the width of the reference pulse 30 at midthreshold, ZαW(_(mid-ref)30)/W(_(mid-signal)32). More specifically,Zα(T(E)−T(B)(_(ref) 30)/(T(E)−T(B)(_(signal) 32)) (Eq. 10).

Gap Z is also proportional to a ratio of the width (W) of the signalpulse 32 at high threshold to the width of the reference pulse 30 athigh threshold, ZαW(_(high-ref) 30)/W(_(high-signal) 32). Morespecifically, Zα(T(D)−T(C)(_(ref signal) 30))/(T(D)−T(C)(_(signal) 32))(Eq. 11).

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, gap Z isalso proportional to the difference between diameter D(14) of referencebeam 14 and diameter D(16) of signal beam 16. More specifically, sincediameter D(14) of the reference beam 14 is constant when reference beam14 is collimated, gap Z is proportional to D(14)−D(16). In practice,this is represented by the “Delay” shown in FIG. 3, which is the lagtime between when blade 18 enters or exits reference beam 14 and whenblade 18 enters or exits signal beam 16 at locations 16 c (as shown), 16a, 16 b or 16 d.

Gap Z, therefore, is also proportional to T(A)(_(signal) 32)−T(A)(_(ref)30) or T(F)(_(signal) 32)−T(F)(ref 30) (Eq. 12), as shown in FIG. 6. Incertain situations, when pulses 30 and 32 are well defined andseparated, as illustrated in FIG. 4 the “Delay” can be establishedbetween corresponding pairs of points B, C, D or E, as illustrated inFIG. 4.

While gap Z can be determined by any one of the Eqs. (7)-(12),preferably all of the Eqs. (7)-(12) and possibly the other “Delay”equations are solved to ensure the repeatability of the results of gapZ.

Referring to FIG. 7, another embodiment of the present invention isshown. Sensor 10 has three or more beams. In addition to reference beam14 and signal beam 16, sensor 10 further comprises second signal beam34, wherein optical fiber 36 carries a light, which is focused throughlens 38. Lens 38 may diverge the light beam 34, as shown; however, lens38 may also focus or converge beam 34, so long the focal length ofconverging beam 34 is different than that of beams 14 and 16. Also, adiverging beam can also be a converging beam with its point ofconvergence occurring inside of sensor 10, which would become adiverging beam outside of sensor 10. In general, the beams shouldconverge or diverge at different rates. At positions a, b, c, and d,second signal beam 34 has a unique diameter and therefore would reflecta unique reflected pulse, similar to first signal beam 16 at positionsa, b, c and d. The reflections at 34 a-34 d are proportional to thewidth of gap Z similar to the reflections at 16 a-16 d. Thedetermination of gap Z can be accomplished by Eqs. (7)-(12) discussedabove. Employing second signal beam 34 in addition to signal beam 16provides more data to ensure the accuracy and repeatability of themeasurements of gap Z. Any number of beams can be used, and the presentinvention is not limited to any number of beams.

One advantage of using second signal beam 34 is that if gap Z issufficiently large so that tip 28 of blade 28 is downstream ofconverging point 16 d of signal beam 16, the reflected signal pulse,e.g., at location 16 c′, would be similar to the reflected signal pulse16 c and the reflected signal pulse, e.g., at location 16 b′, would besimilar to the reflected signal pulse 16 b. Since the reflected signalpulses from second signal beam 34 are unique or the combinations ofreflected pulses from beams 14, 16 and 16 are unique, any ambiguity ofgap Z caused by the location of tip 28 relative to converging point 16 dis resolved.

In an alternate embodiment, either beam 16 or beam 34 can be thereference beam and the other of beam 16 or beam 34 can be the signalbeam, so long as the diameters of both beams are known at any width ofgap Z and so long as beams 16 and 34 have different focal lengths. Inanother alternate embodiment, reference beam 14 can be used with onlydiverging beam 34 without converging signal beam 16; however, in thisembodiment, beam 34 should have sufficient intensity to compensate forthe diverging nature of the beam. Alternately, both signal beams 16 and34 can be converging or diverging, so long as they have different focallengths.

In yet another embodiment, only one signal beam, such as signal beam 16or signal beam 34 is used without a reference beam. As discussed aboveand shown in FIGS. 1 and 7, the diameter of signal beam 16 or 34 isunique for corresponding gap Z. The reflected signal pulse in width andtime duration can be unique when the thickness of blade 18 and the speedof blade 18 are known. Gap Z can be ascertained as follows:ZαD(16 or 34)  (Eq. 6′),ZαT(_(rise-signal)32)  (Eq. 7′).Eqs. (8)-(12) can be similarly modified for this embodiment. Informationabout the thickness of blade 18 and its rotating speed can be entered bythe user before measuring gap Z.

Referring to FIG. 8, a schematic for a system 40, which is hereinafterreferred to as analog module 40, to transmit light, to receive reflectedlight pulses and to process the reflected light pulses is shown. Analogmodule 40 comprises optical source 42, which can emit light in narrow orbroad ranges in the visible or invisible range, as discussed above.Light from optical source 42 is split by splitter 44 into two or morebeams to be transported along optical fibers 20 and 24 to sensor 10, asshown in FIGS. 1 and 7. Alternative configurations include independentlight sources for each channel as the input to splitter 46. Reflectedlight pulses 30, 32 are transported in the opposite direction backthrough optical fibers 20 and 24. Each reflected pulse 30, 32 thentravels through splitter 46 to separate from beam 14, 16, respectively.Each reflected pulse is optionally optically amplified to increase thesignal strength. Each reflected pulse 30, 32 is detected by opticaldetector 48 to convert the optical signal to electrical signals for dataprocessing by electrical and electronic components. The convertedelectrical signals are optionally amplified by amplifier or op-amp 50 toincrease their magnitudes or gains. These signals are also optionallyconditioned through the use of electronic filters. In one embodiment,pulses 30 and 32 are viewed at oscilloscope 52, where the rise time, thefall time and the various widths of the pulses and delay time describedabove can be stored, viewed, and measured. When sensor 10 and analogmodule 40 are used to measure gaps Z between multiple moving or rotatingobjects, such as blades inside a jet engine, turbo charger or turbomachinery, the pulses from each blade can be stored in memory forprocessing or post-processing.

The data including pulses 30 and 32 can be processed by a number ofmethodologies and the present invention is not limited to any particulardata processing technique. In accordance to one embodiment of thepresent invention, the data can be post-processed, i.e., the data isstored first, e.g., in a digital oscilloscope or other memory storagedevices, or in accordance to another embodiment the data can be processin real-time. In a non-limiting method, the data coming from amplifiers50 is cleaned and normalized to facilitate accurate measurements. Asshown in FIG. 8, a digital oscilloscope is used to acquire and store theraw/unprocessed voltage data from amplifiers 50. The data can bedigitized by an analog-digital converter either before or after reachingdigital oscilloscope 52. The data representing reference pulses 30 isprocessed in the same way using the same calculations as the datarepresenting reference pulses 32.

In one example of a processing methodology, the unprocessed data fromoscilloscope 52 has the minimum value subtracted and is divided by therange to generate a normalized signal. A low pass digital filter isapplied to remove high frequency noise and to smooth the sampling noise,which generally occurs during digitization, followed by subtraction fromthe output of a traveling minimum filter, which preferably is a very lowfrequency low pass filter. This subtraction removes very low frequencynoise content, such as signal drift. This step is designed to minimizedistortions caused by slow background variations in the signal. Thesignals from pulses 30 and pulses 32 are optionally synchronizedtogether to enhance the visualization of the data. By comparing theconditioned data against the output of a running maximum filter, pulsesrepresenting blade 18 crossing beam 14, 16 or 34 can be identified.

At this time, a coarse measurement of the peak spacing can reject anyspurious noise which may have gotten through the signal conditioningdescribed above. The signal conditioning is completed and the systemoutputs smoothed data/pulses with the approximate times of bladecrossing beam events, such as those shown in FIGS. 4, 5 and 6. As shownin these Figures, the horizontal-time axis is centered on the center ofthe pulse, which can be defined as the mid-point between two low (A-F),middle (B-E) or high (C-D) crossings of blade 18. These smootheddata/pulses can be analyzed to measure the features, such as rise time,fall time, pulse widths or “Delays”, to ascertain gap Z, as discussedabove.

Preferably, a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) is used to processthe data collected from analog module 40 and sensor 10. An FPGA is anintegrated circuit and is designed to be configured by the user aftermanufacturing. An FPGA is different from an application-specificintegrated circuit (ASIC) in that a user can update an FPGA after it isshipped from the manufacturer, thereby enhancing the versatility of thetool. However, an ASIC, any other computational device, or anycombination of such devices can be used, as well.

Referring to FIG. 8 a, a schematic for another embodiment of analogmodule 40 is shown, which is hereinafter referred to as analog module40′, to transmit light, to receive reflected light pulses and tocondition the reflected light pulses. Analog module 40′ comprisesoptical source 42, which can emit light in narrow or broad ranges in thevisible or invisible range, as discussed above. Light from opticalsource 42 is split by splitter 44 into two or more beams to betransported along optical fibers 20 and 24 to sensor 10, as shown inFIGS. 1 and 7. Alternative configurations include independent lightsources for each channel as the input to splitter 46. Reflected lightpulses 30, 32 are transported in the opposite direction back throughoptical fibers 20 and 24. Each reflected pulse 30, 32 then travelsthrough splitter 46 to separate from beam 14, 16, respectively. Eachreflected light pulse is optionally optically amplified by amplifier 47to increase the signal strength. Each reflected pulse 30, 32 is detectedby optical detector 48 to convert the optical signal to electricalsignals for data processing by electrical and electronic components. Theconverted electrical signals are optionally amplified by amplifier orop-amp 50 to increase their magnitudes or gains. These signals are alsooptionally conditioned through the use of any combination of electronicfilters 51 (e.g., low pass, high pass, bandpass) to reduce noise. In oneembodiment the data is then transferred into a system 53 for digitizingand signal processing. In one embodiment shown in FIG. 11, pulses 30 and32 from analog module 40′ can also be viewed at oscilloscope 52, wherethe rise time, the fall time and the various widths of the pulses anddelay time described above can be stored, viewed, and measured. Whensensor 10 and analog module 40 are used to measure gaps Z betweenmultiple moving or rotating objects, such as blades inside a jet engine,turbo charger or turbo machinery, the pulses from each blade can bestored in memory for processing or post-processing.

In another embodiment, the signals from analog module 40′ can beprocessed in real time. In this embodiment, the signals are digitizedand the signal processing is conducted in a system, one example of whichis shown in FIG. 10. In a non-limiting method, FPGA chip 62 is used toprocess the data collected from analog module 40 or analog module 40′and sensor 10. As shown, a set of high speed analog to digitalconverters 60 is used to convert the output from analog module 40′ intoa digital data stream. This data stream is then input into FPGA chip 62for data reduction. One example of the signal processing functions,which can occur in FPGA chip 62, is shown in the upper portion of FIG.12, with a sample implementation shown in FIG. 13. In this example, thedigitized data is aggregated to form average values which are thenstored in a sample buffer. The number of digital data points (“raws”)which are included to form each averaged and stored value (“samples”) isdetermined by an estimate of the number of raws which will occur betweena pair of adjacent pulses for a single channel (the “window size”). Acoarse summing of these samples into “bins” is used to determinecandidates for the beginning and end of possible pulses. At the end ofthe estimated blade window, the most probable pulse feature is analyzedto determine the pulse timings T(A) through T(F). This analysis is usedto adaptively change the estimated window size thereby allowing thesignal processor to lock in on the repeating blade pulses. The resultsof T(A) through T(F) for each channel are then passed to a softwaremodule 64, as shown in FIG. 10, (which may be implemented within thesame hardware or different hardware) which calculates the difference andratios discussed above to derive the clearance, Z, conducts any desiredhigher order calculations, and outputs the results to the user(s).

Referring again to FIG. 12, FPGA chip 62 processes the raw data andreduces the data collected for further processing. In the presentembodiment, a preferred data processing technique involves thecollection of reflected energy 30, 32, from beams 14, 16/34 inaccordance with the internal clock of the CPU or FPGA chip 62. Theinternal clock is an internal timing device. Generally, a quartz crystalfeeds the microprocessor or FPGA a constant flow of pulses. For example,a 100 MHz CPU receives 100 million pulses per second from the clock. A 2GHz CPU gets two billion pulses per second. Similarly, in acommunications device, a clock may be used to synchronize the datapulses between sender and receiver. Internal clocks of any frequency orspeed can be used and the present invention is not limited thereto.Additionally multiple clocks can be used to conduct different elementsof the processing at different rates, much like a modern computer hasseparate clocks for the CPU, RAM, and graphics cards. In the exampleshown in FIG. 12, a 100 MHz clock is used, and at each “tick” of thisdigital internal clock an analog measurement of the reflected energyfrom signal and reference pulses 30, 32 are recorded and digitized atstep S01 preferably by analog to digital converter 60 (illustrated inFIG. 10). It is noted that the duration of a single pulse 30 or 32generally span over a plurality of “ticks” from the internal clock ofFPGA chip 62. Pulses 30 and 32 are identified and ascertained from theexemplary procedure described below.

After digitization, the raw data from pulses 30, 32 are aggregated atstep S02. The raw data over a set of “n” number is summed and averaged,and the buffer is cleared for the next “n” number of raw data. Theaggregated and averaged “sample” value is sent to a memory storage forlater recall and comparison at step S03. Step S04 further reduces thedata into “bin”. At step S04, the pulses 30, 32 are identified andtracked from “bin” values, and approximate locations and widths of thepotential pulses are stored; false readings are rejected. After thepulses are identified and tracked, in step S05 the timings of thepulses, such as T(A)−T(F), “Delays”, and pulse widths at various markers(low, mid, high) are ascertained by conducting a careful analysis of the“samples” stored in step S03, guided by the approximate valuesdetermined in step S04. At step S05, the duration of a true pulse 30, 32in terms of the number of “ticks” is also identified. At step S06, a“window” size, which is the interval between sequential reflected pulseson a given channel (e.g. the time between the arrival of blade 18 andthe arrival of the next blade of the rotor at the reference channel) interms of “ticks”, is adjusted if necessary and the adjusted window isreiteratively fed back to step S03. Steps S01-S06 are preferablyperformed by FPGA chip 62. Steps S01 and S02 are performed at a veryhigh frequency at the speed of the internal clock, but at a low level ofcomplexity, i.e., data sampling and digitization. Step S03 is performedonce per “sample” with decreasing frequency but increasing complexity.As further shown in FIG. 12, step S04 is preferably performed once perbin, and steps S05 and S06 are performed once per window (i.e. at theblade passing frequency). This methodology of data processing allowshigh sampling rate and selective processing of reduced data. In thisexample, no step is halted for the following steps to complete. Forexample, while step S03 is storing the data, S02 is simultaneouslyaggregating the raw values for the next “sample”.

The pulse timings from step S05 are processed into timing ratios such asthose discussed above in Eqs. (7)-(12), discussed above at step S07. Thetiming ratios are then run through a calibration module, which maycontain conversions from timing ratios to width of gap Z, and higherorder processing, which may perform the higher functions such asvibration detection and analysis, detection of foreign object impact ordamage, blade fracture/fatigue, etc., described below, at steps S08 andS09, respectively, before being outputted to the users at step S10.Preferably, steps S07-S10 are processed by application 64 (shown in FIG.10).

FIG. 13 illustrates an exemplary, non-limiting methodology to executethe data reduction and processing shown in FIG. 12. Raw data at each“tick” from the digital internal clock is inputted at step S01.1 to ananalog-digital converter at step S01. Step S02, the step of aggregationand averaging, is carried out by the sample builder. The aggregated andaveraged sample values are sent to (i) the sample buffer controller 66which performs step S03 and stores the aggregated and averaged values isa memory called a sample buffer 68 which resides on FPGA chip 62, and to(ii) the bin builder, which further reduces the data by aggregating andaveraging the sample values. Step S04, identifying and tracking bladecandidates, is performed by the pulse finder at step S04.2. The pulsesare analyzed at step S05 by the threshold seeker by identifying athreshold of the pulse, which in this embodiment is preferably the midpoint of the pulses, i.e., the zero value (“0”) of the pulse as shown inFIG. 5. The pulse finder also finds the duration of the pulse in termsof the number of “ticks”. With the threshold and the duration of thepulse, the threshold seeker at step S05 references sample buffercontroller 66 and sample buffer 68 to recall the stored pulse samplesand forward the stored pulse to the calculate the timing ratio at stepS07.

Also shown in FIG. 13 is the reiterative step discussed above. After thethreshold seeker has identified the duration of one blade window, thisdata is fed to the window sizer in step S06. The new window size is sentto system manager 70 in step S06.01, which in turn sends the informationin terms of raw “ticks” to the sample builder in step S06.02, in termsof samples per pin to the bin builder in step S06.03 and in terms of binper blade window in step S06.04 to the pulse finder. Also as shown,system manager 70 also sends the new size for the blade window to thestatus registers. Control registers may also input data to systemmanager 70 and test data to the sample builder.

It is noted that the data processing and data reduction described inFIGS. 12 and 13 are illustrative only, and the present invention is notlimited to any particular data processing and reduction methodologies.

In one embodiment, sensor 10 is made from materials having lowcoefficient of thermal expansion, such as sapphire, glass,polycrystalline alumina, optical ceramic (available as ALON™ from theSurmet Corporation, zirconia, superalloys, or other materials, tominimize thermal expansion and contraction, as can be expected whensensor 10 is deployed in thermally extreme applications, such as jetengines and turbo-machineries. Thermal expansion and contraction can befurther minimized when substantially all the components of sensor 10,such as lenses, lens holders, optical fibers, housing are made from thesame material, e.g., sapphire. Preferably, sensor 10 is made frommaterials having a coefficient of thermal expansion of less than about30×10⁻⁶/° C., more preferably less than about 10×10⁻⁶/° C., and mostpreferably less than about 1×10⁻⁶/° C.

The housing of sensor 10, window 27 and possibly the lenses 22, 26and/or 38 can be made by the net shape molding process, where opticalceramic powder such as ALON™ is poured into molds and is then heatedunder pressure to form a monolithic piece. This net shape molded pieceforms a single piece outer housing of sensor 10.

In another embodiment, the optical elements of sensor 10, such as lenses22, 26 or 38, can be spring loaded to minimize the effects of thermalexpansion or contraction, and vibrations caused by the moving orrotating member 18,

Sensor 10 can also be deployed to measure gap Z between a stationaryobject 12 and a rotating smooth drum. The drum may have slit cutouts onits surface and sensor 10 can measure the reflecting pulses from thesurface of the drum interrupted by the lack of reflections at the slitcutouts. Gap Z would be ascertainable based on the rise/fall time,widths and “Delay” of the interruptions. In yet another embodiment, theslit cutouts can be replaced by areas painted with a reflective orabsorptive coating, or, inversely, the smooth drum can be painted with areflective coating, except for a plurality of unpainted areas, so longas the reflectivity of the rotating object varies. In yet anotherembodiment the variations in reflectivity could be achieved throughmachining features which scatter light away from sensor 10.

Sensor 10 can be used to monitor a rotary machine, such as a jet engineor a turbo-machinery, for the entry of foreign objects. When largeforeign objects, such as birds, enter a jet engine, the effects can bereadily felt and catastrophic. However, smaller objects may not be felt.The smaller objects when they enter the jet engine may vary the rotatingspeed of rotating blades or may cause the blades to move closer orfurther away from the stationary engine shroud. These foreign objectsmay also cause the blades to move linearly substantially along the axisof rotation, discussed in the following paragraph. Sensor 10 can detectthese changes and can issue warnings. Sensor 10 and its supportingsystems can inform the operator of the jet engine or turbo-machinery tosafely shut down and inspect the machine.

Referring to FIG. 9, another embodiment of the present invention thatuses tip 28 of blade 18 is shown. Tip 28 comprises a tapered shape 29,which has a reflectance value that is different than the reflectancevalue of the rest of tip 28. The reflectance of tapered shape 29 can behigher or lower than the reflectance of the rest of tip 28. Since thewidth of tapered shape 29 is different at any location where referencebeam 14 or signal beam 16 or 34 may cross it, tapered shape 29 producesa unique pulse where the beams crossed. Hence, if blade 18 moves in adirection normal to its rotational direction, i.e., along the axis ofrotation, sensor 10 can detect this movement and, if appropriate, send awarning. Tapered shape 29 can be triangular as shown or curved or haveany arbitrary shape, so long as its width is unique where the beams maycross it. Additionally rather than a single shape the tapered shape 29may be formed by the combination of multiple features of fixed width thespacing of which varies along the tip 28.

In another embodiment, beams 14 and 16/34 are aimed toward the axis ofrotation of blade 18, and the beams are not necessarily parallel to eachother. When these beams are so oriented, their paths are more orthogonalto tip 28 of blade 18, so that the reflected pulses 30 and 32 reflectmore directly back at sensor 10. This orientation can reduce noise andincrease signal strength. Furthermore, window 27 may have an angled face27′ can be removably or permanently placed in front of sensor 10 andbefore lenses 22, 26/38 to angle the beams, as shown in FIG. 14 with theangled beam shown in broken lines. As shown, angled portion 27′ ofwindow 27 redirects one or more of the beams, which could be any beam.It is noted that angled portion 27′ can be positioned in front of anybeam and any number of beams. Furthermore, a prism can be positioned atthe distal end of sensor 10 to bend the beams at any desired angle, upto 90° or more, before the beams are incident on blade 18. The prism canbe made integral to the window.

Alternately, fibers 20, 24/36 can be offset relative to lenses 22, 26/38so that the light beam no longer travels through the center of lens 22,26/38, as shown in FIG. 15. This would cause the light beam to shiftangularly. The amount of offset in the vertical direction of an opticalfiber in relation to the lens in FIG. 15 in direction “a” would anglethe beam 14, 16/36 in direction “b”, as shown in broken lines.

Also, lenses 22, 26 and 36 can be elliptical or spherical lenses. Theycan be replaced by asphereic or aspheric lenses, whose surfaces have aprofile that is neither a portion of a sphere nor of a circularcylinder, cylindrical lenses, diffractive optical elements, polished ormicromachined ends of the optical fibers, or photonic structures, suchas photonic crystals. An advantage of cylindrical lenses is that whenused to focus light beams these lenses provide non-circular light beams,as shown in FIG. 19. As shown, the resulting beam focused to a line ofconvergence, instead of a point of convergence. One advantage of havinga line of convergence is that it may be sized and dimensioned toilluminate the entire tip 28 of blade 18. In general, suitable photonicstructures include any structure that uses the geometrical structure ofmaterials with features of the scale of or less than, the wavelength oflight being controlled. Furthermore, the lenses and the protectivewindow positioned at the distal end of sensor 10 discussed above can bemade integral to each other. The window can be diffusion-bonded to forma seal at the distal end of sensor 10.

Beams 14, 16 or 34, which can be any visible or invisibleelectromagnetic radiation as discussed above, may also comprise a narrowfrequency range. Beams 14, 16 or 34 can provide interference patternswith reflected pulses 30 or 32 to yield additional information,including the width of gap Z. In other words, one beam can form aFabry-Perot cavity between stationary member 12 and rotating member 18,and an interference pattern can form between the light reflected at lens22 or 26 (at stationary member 12) and the light reflected at tip 28.

The sensor system can also be used to passively gather ambientelectromagnetic radiation from the environment and be used to measurethe temperature of the rotary elements by analyzing the black bodyradiation which is captured.

In another embodiment of the present invention, one or more physical orcontact sensor can be used in conjunction with remote, non-contactsensor 10 of the present invention. In one example, a temperature gageis included in sensor 10, so that the operating temperature can beascertained. The measured temperature can be used to estimate theeffects of temperature on the functions of sensor 10. A calibrationcurve, which includes the effects of operating temperature, can assistthe user in adjusting the measured width of gap Z. Suitable temperaturegages include, but are not limited to, thermocouples, thermistors, andthermal radiation gages such as an infrared temperature gage.

In another embodiment, gap measurements can be made by replacingfocusing signal light beam 16 and collimated reference light beam 14with a discrete collection of collimated beams oriented at differentangles from the end face of sensor 10 or at stationary member 12. Asillustrated in FIG. 16, this collection of beams comprises at least twocollimated reference beams 80 directed substantially orthogonal to arrow19 which indicates the direction of rotation of blade 18, similar tothat discussed above, and collimated angled signal beams 82 which areangled relative to each other. While two reference beams and five signalbeams are shown, any number of beams can be used, and the invention isnot limited to any number of beams. The resulting profile of thereflected light beams is shown in FIG. 17.

The reflected “reference” pulse 84 is the feature schematically shown onthe left side of FIG. 17, which is independent of clearance Z. When thedistance between the beams is less than the width of tip 28, blade 18enters the first beam to produce the first rise and produces the secondrise in pulse 84 when blade 18 enters the second reference beam. Whenblade 18 exits the first and then the second reference beams, itproduces the two-step fall time of pulse 84, as shown. Similarly, thereflected signal pulses 86 shown on the right side of FIG. 17 has astepped profile, where each step represents a combined reflected pulsewhen blade 18 enters and leaves each signal collimated beam 82. Thewidth of gap Z is directly proportional to the duration of pulse 86. Inother words, increasing gap Z increases the width of pulse 86. Thisembodiment is somewhat similar to the relationship of gap Z anddiverging signal beam 34 shown in FIG. 7 above. The stepped profile 86may be connected as shown, or the steps may be separated from eachother, depending on clearance Z or where blade 18 intercepts angledbeams 82.

FIG. 18 demonstrates a method by which the use of three channels orlight beams 88, 90, 92 or more can allow for the compensation ofrotation during installation of the sensor probe. In one example, thethree light beam embodiment, other than the applications discussed abovein connection with FIG. 7, can be used when the thickness of blade 18 isnot uniform, so that the “Delays” between the reflected signal pulse andthe reflected reference pulse and the widths of these pulses are causedby the varying thickness of blade 18, as well as by the width of gap Z.In this configuration, at least two of the three beams are signal beams,and the two signal beams would consistently read significantly differentvalues of gap Z, for all the blades 18 in the turbo-machine. The usercan derive from these readings that one of the possible causes is thatblade 18 has non-uniform thickness, and can rotate sensor 10, as shown,so that one of the signal beam and the reference beam are aligned tointersect the same section of blade 18. Alternatively, the knowledge ofthe amount of rotation can be used to mathematically correct for therotation.

In another embodiment, a soft, sacrificial coating can be added to thedistal end of sensor 10. This coating is designed to wear away when theengine or turbo-machine is started. This reduces the sensitivity of thepositioning of sensor 10 when it is installed on stationary member 12.Furthermore, the housing or exterior of sensor 10 can be made fromtransparent material that is compatible with the environment.Additionally, after installation, the housing of probe 10 can bemetalized to form a seal between the probe and the stationary member.Moreover, the thermal expansion/contraction properties of probe/sensor10 can be matched to that of the moving or translating members tominimize the effects of temperature fluctuation.

In yet another embodiment of the present invention, the reflectedreference pulse and reflected signal pulse from a single blade 18 can beunique due to the reflectance property of each blade tip 18, such thateach blade has a unique “reflectance fingerprint”. Each blade can beuniquely identified based on its reflected pulses. Practicalapplications of this advantage includes, but are not limited to,performing vibrational analysis to determine whether a particular blade18 is cracked, fractured or fatigue since the structurally damaged bladetends to lag behind the other blades during operation. The arrival timesof each blade and/or the space between the arrival times of the bladecan be monitored. Gaps or delays in the arrival time suggest that one ormore blades have been structurally compromised and their structuralintegrity can be verified. Due to their “reflectance fingerprint” thedamaged blades can be identified. Another application is that bladeflutter (the displacement of the blade tip relative to the rotation ofthe overall rotor, which results when the blade flexes as it rotates),or erosion (the wearing away of the blade tip over time) can also bedetermined.

In yet another embodiment of the invention, sensor 10 or one beam ofsensor 10, can be used as a tachometer. Since sensor 10 is capable ofrecognizing the “reflectance fingerprint” or signature of a singleblade, using the internal digital clock described above, application 64shown in FIG. 10 can keep track the amount of time or number of “ticks”it takes for a single blade 18 to reappear and hence the rotationalspeed in revolutions per unit time (e.g., minute or second) of theengine or rotational machine. Alternatively, application 64 can simplycount the total number of blades that pass by sensor 10 in one unit oftime duration to ascertain the rotational speed of the engine.

In another embodiment, at least two sensors 10 can be used as a shafttorque sensor. For a jet engine that comprises a plurality of sets ofrotor blades interspersed with sets of stator blades rotated by acentral shaft, it is desirable to have a measurement of the amount oftorque that the rotating shaft experiences during operation. In thisembodiment, one sensor 10 is placed on one ring of rotor blades 18 andanother sensor 10 is placed on a different ring of rotors. The initialpositions of sensors 10 relative to each other in the circumferentialdirection and relative to an assigned/selected blade 18 are measured andstored. During operation of the jet engine, each sensor keeps track ofits assigned blade 18 by identifying and recognizing the blade's“reflectance fingerprint” and more specifically its arrival time afterone revolution. Application 64 compares the arrival times of theassigned blade 18 for each sensor. Any deviation of the relative arrivaltimes indicates the amount of torque experienced by the central shaft ofthe jet engine. This torque can be measured in real time to yield thetorque value during the transient start-up and the torque during steadystate conditions.

In yet another embodiment of the present invention, due to the unique“reflectance fingerprint” sensor 10 can determine the vibrations of thejet engines or rotating machines. When a rotating machine vibrates, therotational shaft can vibrate or move side-to-side, up-and-down or atvarious diagonal angles. Likewise, individual blades can twist or flexin relation to the shaft which they are mounted on. In one example, ifthe rotor blades are rotating in a counterclockwise direction (as viewfrom the front), and the rotating shaft moves to right the arrival timeof the rotor blades as measured by sensor 10 and application 64 would bedelayed, and when the rotating shaft swings to the left, the arrivaltime would be early. This pattern of changing arrival times as measuredby the present invention would indicate a vibration of the engine causedby side-to-side movements. Vibrations in other directions would cause adifferent arrival time patterns, and are detectable by the presentinvention.

With the above enhanced capabilities, sensor 10 can be deployed as anintegral part of control loop application, which uses the informationprovided by sensor 10 and application 64 to control the operation andperformance of the rotating machines or turbo-machineries. In oneexample, the width of gap Z can be used to shut down the machine or toenlarge or shrink stationary member 12, e.g., engine shroud. One way tochange the size of stationary member 12 is to pass a fluid (liquid orgas) around stationary member 12, and to change the temperature of thatfluid to expand or contract the stationary member, as necessary. Theshaft torque and rotating speed information can be used to monitor theengine, and to provide warning messages or to make automatedadjustments. Vibration information can be used to activate actuators,when available, to adjust the rotating shaft to counteract againstmovements thereof that had caused the vibrations.

An inventive sensor substantially illustrated in FIGS. 1-3 along withthe hardware and data processing methodology illustrated in FIGS. 8 a,10, 12 and 14 was mounted on a laboratory spin rig comprised of anelectric motor spinning an eleven blade centrifugal turbocharger tomonitor gap distance Z between the sensor and rotor blades being rotatedat about 2674 rpm. FIG. 20 is a polar coordinate plot that shows therise ratios between reflected pulses 30 and 32 and the width of gap Z.The data in FIG. 20 has been plotted on a polar coordinate system suchthat each angular position, ranging from 1 to 11, corresponds to all ofthe data from a specific blade. Therefore, the angular axis of FIG. 20indicates blade identity ranging from blade 1 to blade 11. The radialaxis of FIG. 20 indicates the ratio of the rise time from the signalpulse 32 to that of the reference pulse 30 (see Eq. 5) ranging from 0.2unit to 1.8 units. The distinct line styles, as labeled in the legend,indicate the nominal clearance between sensor 20 and the outermostextent of the rotor blades, which is adjusted with a 1 μm accuratepositioner. FIG. 20 shows the response of the system to variations inclearance which arise from manual adjustments (discriminated by linecolor), differences between the blades (such as the especially longblade #10), and rotor vibrations between successive revolutions (asshown by the radial spread of data points for a single line style on asingle blade). FIG. 21 is a plot of the average values from FIG. 20, aswell as other tests, showing the width of gap Z varying from 2.0 mm to3.5 mm when the average rise time ratios (see Eq. 7) ranges from about0.55 to about 1.0. The repeatability of the measurements of gap Z washeld to be as low as within ±30 μm.

While it is apparent that the illustrative embodiments of the inventiondisclosed herein fulfill the objectives stated above, it is appreciatedthat numerous modifications and other embodiments may be devised bythose skilled in the art. One such modification is that the system canmaintain a historical record of prior measurements to determine trendsin values over the life of a blade. Therefore, it will be understoodthat the appended claims are intended to cover all such modificationsand embodiments, which would come within the spirit and scope of thepresent invention.

1. A method for ascertaining a gap between a stationary member and atleast one translating member of a machine comprising the steps of: i.associating at least a reference beam and a signal beam ofelectromagnetic radiation to the stationary member and proximate to eachother, wherein one of the two beams either converges or diverges at arate which is different than that of the other beam; ii. projecting thereference beam and the signal beam across a gap between the stationarymember and the at least one translating member toward the at least onetranslating member; iii. receiving a reference and signal pulsereflected by the at least one translating member when it intersects thereference and signal beam, respectively; iv. ascertaining one or morefeatures from the reflected reference pulse and the reflected signalpulse; and v. determining a width of the gap using at least one of thefeatures in step (iv).
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein step (iv) orstep (v) can be carried out in real time or post-processed.
 3. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the reference beam comprises a collimatedbeam.
 4. The method of claim 3, wherein the signal beam comprises afocused beam or a diverging beam, wherein the diameter of the signalbeam varies across the gap and is determinable.
 5. The method of claim1, wherein at least one of the reference beam and signal beam comprisesa non-circular beam.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or morefeatures from step (iv) comprise: at least one of a rise time of thepulses, a fall time of the pulses, a width of the pulses and a delaybetween the reflected reference pulse and the reflected signal pulse. 7.The method of claim 6, wherein in step (v) is determined by at least aratio of one of the following reflected signal pulse to reflectedreference pulse: rise time, fall time and pulse width.
 8. The method ofclaim 6, wherein the reflected pulses are associated with at least onemarker.
 9. The method of claim 8, wherein the at least one markerincludes a set of markers comprising at least a low marker, a highmarker and a mid marker between the low and high marker.
 10. The methodof claim 9, wherein one set of markers is used for the rise time andanother set of markers is used for the fall time.
 11. The method ofclaim 10, wherein the width of the pulses is defined betweencorresponding members of the set of markers.
 12. The method of claim 1further comprising step (vi) controlling the effects of temperaturefluctuations.
 13. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least onetranslating member comprises one of the following: a. at least onerotating blade with a turbo-machine; and b. a rotating drum or cylinderhaving at least one region with a reflectance that is different from therest of the drum.
 14. The method of claim 1 wherein steps (i)-(iii)further include using a third beam, which either converges or divergesat a rate different from the rate of the reference and signal beams. 15.The method of claim 1 further comprising step (vii) ascertaining whetherthe at least one translating member moves in a direction parallel to theaxis of rotation by providing on a tip of the at least one translatingmember a region of reflectivity that is different than the rest of thetip.
 16. The method of claim 1, wherein the beams are directed toward anaxis of rotation of the at least one translating member.
 17. The methodof claim 1 further comprising the step of (vii) identifying areflectance fingerprint of said at least one translating member.
 18. Themethod of claim 17 wherein step (vii) further comprises identifying saidat least one translating member from a plurality of translating membersusing said at least one translating member's reflectance fingerprint.19. The method of claim 17 further comprising the step of (viii)monitoring said reflectance fingerprint to monitor the structuralintegrity of said at least one translating member.
 20. The method ofclaim 1 further comprising at least one of the following steps (ix)conducting vibration analysis of the machine; (x) detecting foreignobject impacting the machine; (xi) determining a rotational speed of themachine; (xii) determining a torque on a rotational shaft to which theat least one translating member is mounted; or (xiii) controlling aperformance or an operation of the machine, which includes a controlloop application using the width of the gap from step (v), a vibrationanalysis, a shaft torque analysis or a rotational speed analysisobtainable from step (iii).
 21. A method for ascertaining a gap betweena stationary member and at least one translating member comprising thesteps of: i. associating at least a signal beam of electromagneticradiation to the stationary member; ii. projecting the signal beamacross a gap between the stationary member and the at least onetranslating member toward the at least one translating member, wherein adiameter of the signal beam varies across the gap; iii. receiving asignal pulse reflected by the at least one translating member when itintersects the signal beam, wherein a duration of the pulse is relatedto a width of the gap; iv. ascertaining a speed of at least onetranslating member and a thickness of the at least one translatingmember; and iv. determining a width of the gap using the duration of thepulse and the speed and thickness of the at least one translatingmember.